A genre known as “tech-death” might not be an obvious choice for presenting Buddhist-influenced ideas by way of music, but today, via MetalSucks.net, comes an item about, and a sample track from, yet another Buddhism-and-metal hybrid. The album, from stalwart band Gorguts, is called Colored Sands (referring to the main ingredient of a sand mandala) and features a track called “Ocean of Wisdom” — a translation of the Dalai Lama’s title. And, as MetalSucks tells us: “the first half of the album is about something both beautiful and spiritual: the selection of the new Dali Lama. It’s actually the album’s second half that deals with more typical death metal fare (specifically, the Chinese oppression of Tibet). That’s why the album cover features hands that are both praying and bound.”

Want to hear “Ocean of Wisdom” for yourself? Turn your speakers up — or down, perhaps, if you’re at work — and head over to MetalSucks.

Rod Meade Sperry is editor of LionsRoar.com, a deputy editor of the Lion's Roar magazine, and the editor of the anthology A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary Buddhist Teachers.

A genre known as “tech-death” might not be an obvious choice for presenting Buddhist-influenced ideas by way of music, but today, via MetalSucks.net, comes an item about, and a sample track from, yet another Buddhism-and-metal hybrid. The album, from stalwart band Gorguts, is called Colored Sands (referring to the main ingredient of a sand mandala) and features a track called “Ocean of Wisdom” — a translation of the Dalai Lama’s title. And, as MetalSucks tells us: “the first half of the album is about something both beautiful and spiritual: the selection of the new Dali Lama. It’s actually the album’s second half that deals with more typical death metal fare (specifically, the Chinese oppression of Tibet). That’s why the album cover features hands that are both praying and bound.”

Want to hear “Ocean of Wisdom” for yourself? Turn your speakers up — or down, perhaps, if you’re at work — and head over to MetalSucks.